Automatic straightening-machine.



F. H. SLEEPER. AUTOMATIC S TRAIGHTENING MACHiNE.

APPLICATION FlLED JAN.15. I914.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES. Ill/VENTOR EH-SLEEPER m: NDRRIS r-Ersns co. PNOTO-LIINOY. WASHINGTON: u c.

F. H. SLEEPER.

AUTOMATIC STRAIGHTENING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FlLED JANJEI; I914.

l/V VE IV TOR M m T A Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESSES 2% a W F. H. SLEEPER.

AUTOMATIC STRAIGHT e wmcmmz.

APPLICATION FILED .15 1914.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WIT/V58 VE/VTOR F EE PEI? ATTORNEY ing thereabout.

A STATE AII FIE 1*",

FRANK HENRY SLEEPER, OE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SLEEPER & HARTLEY, INQ, OF VIORCESTEB, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

L22L38d.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed January 15, 1914. Serial No. 812,247.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK HENRY SLEEPER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, and a resident of Worcester, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Straightening-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines of the class used for the straightening of round rods, shafting, pipe or tubing, and the object of my invention is to provide a machine so designed and constructed that such rods, shafting, or tubing may be automatically fed therethrough, and automatically straightened therein to a very high degree of accuracy, without injuring the material or marring the surface thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine capable of handling material within a wide range of different diametral sizes, by merely making certain simple substitutions in some essential parts of the machine, as will be hereinafter described.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine in which very short lengths of material may be very accurately straightened.

In illustrating my invention I have shown one of the simpler froms in which I have put this invention into practice,consisting of a single reciprocable die, mounted for transverse movement within a head which is rotatable within a series of rollers revolv- This movable die is recip rocated toward the center of rotation by any one of the series of rollers, as the head rotates and as the die is brought into contact successively with each roller which it overtakes in its rotation; and is moved away from the center by centrifugal force between each such contact period.

Outside of the frame inclosing the die head, and in close proximity thereto, two sets of positively driven feed rolls are mounted, by means of which the material to be straightened is fed through the cen ter of the rotatable die head. described above,

and past the reciprocable straightening die.

able die therein contacts at predetermined intervals with a portion of the outer circumference of the material bending the object out of axial alinement. The die is retracted by centrifugal force as the head rotates,the material being meanwhile fed steadily forward at a predetermined rate, until the next roll is encountered, when the returning die again presses the object out of line, this process being repeated continuously until the entire length of the straight ened object finally emerges from the farther feed rolls.

It will be obvious that the path of the straightening die about the circumference of the object is a spiral of more or less constant pitch, and that the essentials of my invention consist in providing a straightenlng device operating with successive movements about the object to be straightened in such a manner as-to successively bend portions of it away from a fixed center into a spiral path, with the result that the object thus acted upon acquires a true, straight appearance, so far as can be measured with the ordinary instruments of precision in practical use.

While I have here illustrated and described one of the preferred forms of my invention, I desire it to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the precise mechanical forms and terms in which I have illustrated and described my invention, sinceit is manifest that such may be very widely varied by the skilled designer without departing from the essentials of my invention, and without obtaining any material change in the result produced.

I believe myself to be the first to apply such a method of straightening to material of circular section, and the first to devise an automatic "machine of simple and practical in the direction indicated.

form in which this invention is embodied, ed to enter cotiperating recesses 14, 14, in and I therefore claim this invention broadly the head, and thus limit the movements of in its various equivalent forms. the die hammer.

Referring to the drawings: The die member 11 is so formed as to Figure 1 represents a plan view of the partly inclose the object to be straightened; straightening mechanism with the feeding is flared at each end so as to permit the easy devices. admission of objects to be straightened: and

Fig. 2 represents a vertical elevation of is made of different materials, such as soft the same, looking from the left hand side metals, rubber, fiber, &c., according to the of the machine. material to be acted upon.

Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the As the head 3 rotates, carrying with it the machine, and die 11, and the die hammer 12, these parts Fig. Represents a sectional elevation of the tend to move centrifugally outward into the same, taken on the line 4:, 4 of Fig. 3, looking space between adjacent rollers 7, freeing the die 11 from the object to be straightened, Fig. 5 represents a View of the rotating designated as 15: and, as the hammer 12 enmemloers viewed from the front, with the counters the next roller it is again driven in, feed devices and exterior plate removed. forcing the die 11 inward against the object Fig. 6 represents the die hammer, and 15 and bending the latter out of axial aline- Fig. 7 represents the straightening die, ment. both drawn perspectively. A. substantial metal plate 16 conforming Referring to Figs. 3, a and 5, the body inin appearance to the frame 1, is mounted closing the straightening members is desigupon the latter in such a manner as to cover nated by the numeral 1, and is shown as conthe front of the same, and so as to inclose sisting of a substantial frame, preferably of and retain the rotating head 3, and the roller cast iron, secured in any suitable manner bearing cage 9, in operative position. This to a base or support such as the table 2. plate 16 may be secured in any suitable way The rotating dierhead 3, suitably formed to the frame, and is provided with a central from steel or other durable metal, is mountopening in which is mounted a hardened ed for rotation within the head 1, the latter steel sleeve or guide bushing 1.7, having an being formed and recessed in one of its veropening therethrough in an axial direction tical faces to receive it.

The die-head 3 may be driven by any suitablemeans. In the form shown herewith, the rotating head 3, and is similarly per- I make useof the pulley 4, mounted upon forated for the same purpose. one end of the hollow shaft 5, to the oppo- The object 15, (indicated in this case as a to permit the passage of the object 15. A similar bushing 18, is mounted axially in site end of which the die-head 3 is fastened, tube) is fed through the machine by means 4 the shaft being intermediately supported for of the pairs of feed rolls 19, 19 and 20, 20. rotation in the frame 1. An enlarged por- These rolls are suitably mounted in pairs in tion6 is formed upon the head 3, and the the frames 21, 21 for rotation, the shafts of frame 1 is suitably recessed to contain a each pair being geared together, and the two series of bearing rolls 7, preferably made of sets of rolls being driven in approximate steel, hardened, and mounted upon bearing synchron'ism by any suitable method; such, pins 8, the latter being suitably spaced in for instance, as the worm and worm gear the annular bearing cage members 9, 9, so '22, 23, shown in Fig. 2.

that the whole roller bearing member in- To prevent undue wear, all the parts closes circumferentially the part 6 of the which come in contact with the object may head 3, and acts in a manner as an antibe made of any very durable. material, such friction bearing for it. alas steel, hardened.

A circular opening is formed so as to exjfj The rolls 7 are also made preferably of tend axially. through the die-head 3, one Lifisimilar material, and I further provide in end of the hollow shaft 5 being inclosed and jthe frame 1, a ring or raceway 24:, of suitpermanently mounted therein in any desired gable width and made of hardened steel, for manner, while in the opposite or front end Ithese rolls to run upon. of the head a rectangular opening 10 is The operation of the machine may be formed, from the outer circumference of the {briefly described as follows: Referring to enlarged part 6 inward, as shown in Figs. Fig. 1, the end of the object 15, pushed be- 4 and 5. In this opening 10 the straightenltween the feed rolls 19, 19, is gripped thereing die 11, and the die-hammer 12 are by and is fed through the fixed bushing 17, mounted for reciprocal movement. These and past the die member 11, which partly members are preferablymade of. steel, encircles it during the bending operation. hardened. To retain the hammer 12 in the he head 3 is meanwhile being rotated at head 3 against the centrifugal force exerted 1e desired speed, and, as this head 3 rotates, during rotation, it is formed with trans-tcarrying the die and hammer members 11 verse projections or shoulders 13, 13, adaptand 12 with it, these latter are alternately driven toward and from the axis of rotation as the hammer 12 strikes the rolls 7 and as the centrifugal force of rotation frees the die from the tube and carries it outward for the next blow, which occurs as the hammer strikes the next roll. The die 11 being carried in a rotating member, its movement takes effect in a spiral path about the object 15, as the latter is fed at a predetermined rate through the machine. At first the end only of the object 15 is bent, but as it pro-' gresses it encounters and enters the guide bushing 18, and the bending action by means of which the object acquires its straight appearance, thereafter takes place between these two relatively fixed points,the guide bushings 17 and. 18 until the opposite .end of the object has arrived at the bending point, and is thereafter supported in the guide bushing 18 only until it finally emerges from the machine. It has been found in practice that by this method of treating objects of circular section they are made to appear extremely true and straight from end to end.

In order that dust or scale may be prcvented from passing the die member 11 into the interior of the machine so as to clog the same, I provide the straightening die 11 with an encircling groove 25, and fill this groove with felt of a suitable quality. The felt acts as a wiper, preventing the passage of any foreign particles into the bearings of the machine.

To further provide for the speedy removal of such particles of grit or dust from the machine, I provide in the head 3 a series of inclined openings 26, and further provide the exterior plate 16, with an opening 27, so that any dustwhich is generated in the center of the mechanism may fall freely along the grooves 26, and through the open ing 27, away from the machine.

The hollow bushings 17, 18, may be re tained in place by any suitable means, but I prefer to use set screws such as I have shown for this purpose, and have provided in the frame 1 an opening whereby the set screw 28 may be reached from the exterior of the machine.

These bushings 17, 18, may be removed and replaced by others having openings adapted for objects of different diameter, and the die 11 may be also removed and replaced by a die adapted for the straightening of objects of a different size. These changes and substitutions may be made very readily by removing the cover plate 16.

Any one of a number of known methods may be adopted so as to provide an adjustable mounting for the feed rolls 19, 20, but I prefer to secure them to their respective operating shafts by threaded nuts 29, readily removable, so that the feed rolls may be removed, and replaced by others of difprovide for small variations in the sizes of the objects to be straightened, pressure being applied to the upper bearing 31 of each pair, said bearings being capable of vertical adjustment for this purpose.

It will be obvious that a structure in which two dies are u-sed,one on eachside of the object 15,with die hammers adapted to contact simultaneously with opposite rolls, will give precisely the same ultimate results as the structure disclosed in the accompanying drawings. In such a form'one die is recessed or cut away in the center, leaving the object supported by the shoulder extremities of the die; While the other and opposing die is cut away at its ends and is formed with a central projection adapted to bend the unsupported object midway of the opposing die. Such a structure is found to give excellent results in practice.

It will be noted that the feed rolls 19, 19, 20, 20, are mounted in close proximity to the straightening head, and that the latter has been designed in such a compact form as to allow the material in exceedingly short lengths to be fed into the mechanism and automatically drawn therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a straightening machine the combination with a relatively fixed support for the object to be straightened, of a rotating die-head, a radially-movable die mounted in said head, means to reciprocate said die at a uniform predetermined speed to and from the axis of rotation, and means to feed the object to be straightened past said die.

2. In an automatic straightening machine and in combination, a main frame, an annular series of rolls mounted therein, a rotatable die-head mounted within and par- 11o allel with said series of rolls, a bending die mounted for reciprocal radial movement within saiddie-head, a die-hammer mounted for reciprocal radial movement within said die-head adjacent to said bending die, means to rotate said die-head so as to bring said hammer into successive contact with said rolls, and means to feed the material to be straightened at a uniform predetermined speed along the axis of rotation past said die.

3. In a straightening machine, in combination, a rotating die-head, a radially reciprocating die mounted therein, means to rotate said die-head, means to reciprocate said die at uniform, predetermined speed so as to deliver successive blows in the direction of the axis of rotation, and feeding devices operative along the axis of rotation of said die.

4:. The herein described method of straightening an object which consists in subjecting said object to a series of bending blows delivered transversely of its longitudinal axis and around the periphery of said object at a uniform predetermined speed, and causing a uniform movement of the object being straightened in the direc-' tion of its longitudinal axis whereby the 10 blows contact With the surface of the object in a spiral of substantially constant pitch.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of January, 1914:, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

FRANK HENRY SLEEPER,

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. HARTLEY, HENRY A. SJOBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. G. 

